Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

True Romance Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 11, 2022

The vagaries of licensing and/or releasing in various territories has meant that I've sometimes received Blu-rays meant for the UK and Region B before they're brought out for us on "this side of the pond". That's exactly what happened with Arrow's release of True Romance, which debuted in the UK last year. I typically just insert a link like True Romance Blu-ray review to let readers matriculate over to whatever review might be relevant, but in this case, I'm simply going to repeat some aspects of that review here, for convenience sake. That review is however still a good resource for additional screenshots of both the director's and theatrical cuts.

Quentin Tarantino's films tend to evoke widely disparate reactions, and in that regard, while Tarantino is "only" the screenwriter of True Romance, one need only contrast the opinions of, say, my colleague Ken Brown, who reviewed the old Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Blu-ray of the film (a Region A release) way back in 2009, with Tim Lucas, whom Arrow has added to this new release as a commentator (joining the previously released commentaries by director Tony Scott, Tarantino himself, and stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, also included on this release). While it would probably be downright easy to find two people who disagree more virulently than Ken and Lucas do, Ken confesses he's been a diehard Tarantino fan since his teen years, but still found True Romance a bit of a slog and not at the level of some other Tarantino films actually helmed by Tarantino. Lucas on the other hand wastes little time in his commentary proclaiming True Romance one of the best films of the late 20th century, and one whose perceived deficits may actually be positives, at least at times. If you tend more toward Lucas' frame of mind, this release from Arrow should be a welcome addition to your library, as it boasts excellent technical merits and Arrow's usual supply of outstanding supplements.

As mentioned above, True Romance has had previous Blu-ray releases around the globe. For those wanting a plot recap, Ken's True Romance Blu-ray review is a good place to start. Ken's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons, as well as seeing how supplements stack up between the releases. As I have been known to say, "different reviewers means different opinions", and so scores may therefore differ.

True Romance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Additional screenshots are available at the above linked review of the UK release by Arrow.

True Romance is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's UK PR firm only sent a check disc, and so I didn't have access to the verbiage on the transfer included in the insert booklet, which is as follows:

True Romance is prseented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 [sic] with stereo 2.0 and 5.1 sound. The film is presented in both the original Theatrical and Director's Cut versions.

The original 35m negative and 35mm intermediary elements were scanned in 4K resolution at Illuminate Labs, Hollywood. The film was restored and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The stereo and 5.1 mixes were sourced from the original sound mix masters.

All original materials supplied for this restoration were made available by Revolution via Park Circus.

That may bring into question this release's aspect ratio, which is just slightly different from the earlier Warner Brothers Region A release, which was in 2.40:1, as well as the reported original aspect ratio (per the IMDb in addition to the above verbiage) of 2.39:1. While this may be a stumbling point for some, I frankly noticed no framing issues whatsoever until the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review were measured and I noticed the difference. In virtually all other ways, though, I can't imagine fans not being impressed with this presentation, especially given the fact that Ken was evidently pretty seriously underwhelmed with the image quality on the old Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Blu-ray release. This release is noticeably brighter than the Warner Brothers release, but it also boasts a much more organic looking grain field, with the result being a generally much more pleasing appearance. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout. There are a few very minor downturns in image quality, including some of the scenes with James Gandolfini, but these changes are incremental at worst. I noticed no significant differences between the presentations of the Director's Cut and the Theatrical Cut, though in watching again this time, there is arguably a bit grittier look to some of the "new" footage.

True Romance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ken also wasn't overly enthused about the Warner Brothers audio presentation on that now long ago Blu-ray release, even if relatively speaking the audio was evidently better than the video. I found nothing major to complain about with regard to this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. I spent most of my time on the surround track, but toggling between tracks I noticed no major differences in general amplitude and fidelity. The surround track very noticeably opens up the glut of source cues, while also providing good immersive opportunities for an onslaught of both ambient environmental effects as well as a number of other effects which include everything from rubber being laid on the streets of Los Angeles by a certain purple Cadillac to overwhelming eruptions of gunfire. Dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

True Romance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Director's Cut (HD; 2:00:36) and Theatrical Cut (HD; 1:58:14) are included.


• Feature Commentaries

  Commentary by Tony Scott

  
  

  Commentary by Quentin Tarantino

  
  

  Commentary by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette

  
  

  Commentary by Tim Lucas is new to this edition and features unabashed fan Lucas proclaiming the virtues of the film.

• Select Scenes Commentary

  Dennis Hopper (2002) (HD; 11:16)

  
  

  Val Kilmer (2002) (HD; 4:06)

  
  

  Brad Pit (2002) (HD; 5:47)

  
  

  Michael Rapaport (2002) (HD; 34:38)

  
  

  Bronson Pinchot (2021) (HD; 16:25)

  
  

  Saul Rubinek (2021) (HD; 6:56)

• New Interviews

  You're So Cool (HD; 10:05) is an interview with costume designer Susan Becker.

  
  

  Relentless Romance (HD; 12:50) is an interview with co-editor Michael Tronick.

  
  

  Amid the Chaos of the Day (HD; 11:59) is an interview with composers Mark Mancina and John Van Tongeren.

  
  

  A Hunger for Mayhem (HD; 7:51) is an overview of Tony Scott's life and work featuring interviews with Scott biographer Larry Taylor.

  
  

  Cadillac Man (HD; 7:51) is a fun piece featuring Dan Storm, a superfan who ended up with the iconic purple Cadillac from the film, who started a whole festival celebrating the film which has attracted participants from all around the globe.

• Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD; 29:15) offer optional commentary from Tony Scott.


• Alternate Ending (HD; 6:23) offers optional commentary by either Tony Scott or Quentin Tarantino. Tim Lucas also addresses the "ending issue" in his commentary.


• Electronic Press Kit

  US Featurette 1 (HD; 5:35)

  
  

  US Featurette 2 (HD; 5:38)

  
  

  International Featurette (HD; 7:46)

  
  

  Behind the Scenes (HD; 15:17)

  
  

  Interview with Tony Scott (HD; 4:17)

  
  

  Interview with Christian Slater (HD; 1:50)

  
  

  Interview with Patricia Arquette (HD; 1:58)

  
  

  Interview with Dennis Hopper (HD; 1:46)

  
  

  Interview with Gary Oldman (HD; 2:58)

• Trailers and TV Spots

  US Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:17)

  
  

  US TV Spots (HD; 1:04)

  
  

  International Trailer (HD; 2:27)

• Image Galleries

  Production Stills (HD)

  
  

  Poster & Video Art (HD)

Arrow's UK PR firm only sent a check disc for purposes of the UK review, and so I wasn't privy to the exceptional packaging and non-disc swag that Arrow has included with this release. A 60 page perfect bound collectors' booklet featuring new writing by Kim Morgan and Nicholas Clement along with a lgut of other interesting information and data is included, as is a double sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artowrk by Sara Deck. Six double sided postcard sized lobby card reproductions are housed in the keepcase. For those interested in various packaging options, Arrow has really gone the extra mile with this domestic offering, with the following variant versions (note some are 4K UHD only):

True Romance 4K

True Romance 4K

True Romance 4K

True Romance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm probably in some kind of middle ground between Ken Brown's entranced but still skeptical take on the film and Tim Lucas' more outright adulation, but for anyone who has come to love True Romance, maybe even because of any perceived flaws rather than in spite of them, this release from Arrow provides solid technical merits and a really appealing slate of supplements. Highly recommended.